i like the madness

do not fear the dark, wolf cub, for when the sun leaves the world,

She was a survivor – nevermind the fact that she’d died and returned, came back ascended with a death sentence yet again, only to be offered the chance to change into something that might provide her with a more beneficial life. She took up the offer as quickly as she could, going through the changes from her mechanical ascended body into something with a bit more life.

There are some similarities, however. The cold affecting her more often than not, which is why they’d agreed to meet here. She doesn’t know if he’ll recognize her after the changes she’s gone through – but she sits with her back toward the entrance of Frey’s breath, feet dipped in the hot spring to soak up its warmth, her tail long and thin swiping along the edge where she sits, head bowed toward the water to watch the ripples where she can see the horns that spiral from her head. They curl around her skull, pointing up, thick and black with streaks of red ruby throughout them.

They’re pristine and nestle into her dark hair with ease, though she’s found that brushing her hair recently has been a bit of a nightmare. All new adjustments, however, but gods at least she can taste and feel again. She hadn’t realized how much she’d missed it.

the world fears you

KIADA

i wonder which will get you killed faster - your loyalty

Years, seasons, cycles, contorted into a semblance of time and space where turmoil, confusion, and chaos had taken root. War had extended into their slightly fragmented relationship, as dread, apprehension, safety, and choices had flickered in and out of their lives; and despite every promise he could offer, she’d still sought sanctuary elsewhere. He couldn’t have blamed her – never had – for he’d always known Kiada to do exactly that: persist. Persevere. Remain. Sometimes from death itself, sometimes in alterations where he hadn’t recognized her immediately.

The Warden gave notice of his trip to Evie and several other guards, for the variations in land mass would ensure this trip would be longer than it used to be. The Climb, broken off from Halo, remained along horizons as he flew and plunged, bag tucked safely in his talons, a thousand inquiries launching in his mind – how she’d come to be able to taste or feel or –

Maybe it didn’t matter. She was safe and alive and that was that.

Once descending, the rest of the wake and walk was familiar. It didn’t take him long to bypass gore crows or decimate the blind rats lurking nearby, the plumes of Frey’s Breath pinpointed like a map in his skull. Striding along the aperture, he caught her presence by the edge of the springs, head tilting, vaguely uncertain how to even address things anymore between them. So he settled for a rumble in his chest, waiting permission, maybe some admittance to proceed, voice resounding along the caverns without meaning to startle or press. “Hey.”

or your stubbornness?

DEIMOS

do not fear the dark, wolf cub, for when the sun leaves the world,

She waits and waits, tail languidly sliding across the edge of Frey’s Breath while her feet dangle in the warm waters below. Deep in thought so much that she doesn’t hear him initially when he arrives, only listening for the soft hey that greets her. It’s one she intends to latch onto, though, as she turns in the water and peers at Deimos through the light fog of the world around. “Hey.” She greets equally as soft, flashing a soft fanged smile, before she pulls herself out of the warm pools below.

Standing, she shakes out the little bit of water that’s stuck to her legs, before stepping toward him with brighter blue eyes. “Thanks for meeting me here.” She knows the Climb is hit or miss these days. This is where she’d died, after all, but the warmth was too good to ignore. “I hope things are well since the end of the war?” Her horned head tilts, icy blue gaze lingering on his face.

the world fears you

KIADA

i wonder which will get you killed faster - your loyalty

The fog concealed multitudes, and he only had his curiosities to guide him, recognition of fangs amidst smiles peeling something at his senses. Those had been there for some time – and it took a few moments more before he noticed the tail, the horns, and for half a second he pondered if this was a newfound ability left behind by the Voice (to stay in a half-shift, perhaps, like days of old when feathers ruffled along skin). His jaw loosened, meaning to ask the inquiry, before deciding otherwise, because maybe explanations were coming, and stepping forward to meet her halfway.

“You are welcome,” for she was and always had been, even amidst and amongst instances of war, or the lingering fortitude of quiet. “For the most part,” because there were new traumas and agonies, and his brow furrowed slightly, hands restlessly pushing his bag higher over his shoulder. “Ru lost Enzo. But Halo still stands.” Mighty and strong, if not a bit fractured since lands alternated. His head tilted, gaze regarding the way the horns tucked slightly into her hair; a passing glance wouldn’t have even rendered them there. “You changed.”

or your stubbornness?

DEIMOS

do not fear the dark, wolf cub, for when the sun leaves the world,

He meets her halfway and she wonders if it’s too much to break the distance and hug him, a happier twist to the last hug they’d had when she’d parted from his side and watchful eye – seeking out her own safety, feeling it unfit within Halo where so many were on the side of the Old Gods.

She hadn’t died, though, and feels as though she’d managed to figure out her own post-war survival, evident in the way that she knows his calculated gaze takes in the changes. It’s not a secret she can keep long (nor did she want to, given she’d already let so much slip in the means of tasting the treats he’d given her). What she doesn’t expect, however, is the conversation to shift to a few of the trauma’s that she’d been unaware of – figuring herself out – suddenly feeling guilty at not being around.

Her head lowers and she puffs out a quiet sigh, sorrow streaking through her for her aunt. “Oh... No, that's horrible.” She whispers softly, frowning hard, before stepping forward and abandoning all else to envelope him in a tight hug, the first of which to acknowledge her change. Instead of where cold and metal and synthetic skin might have sat, she’s warm for the first time since before she’d died.

And with her head pressed against his chest and arms tight around him she exhales a soft sigh. “The Voice is gone, which I’m sure you know. So… Instead of trying to deal with that I sought out the new god that rose from it… One of the Ancients that the rumor mill has been churning out.” She pulls back slightly, letting her gaze scan his face, calculating and curious how he might take it. “I can feel and taste again. I didn’t realize how much I missed it.”

the world fears you

KIADA

i wonder which will get you killed faster - your loyalty

There were far more traumas than just Ru’s – even when that one was particularly heavy – but he kept them locked away and corded off, silently strung away as she enveloped him in a hug. The change was far more noticeable there too – warmth on her skin instead of the cold, benign surface of an Ascended arch – and he sighed, breathed long and low again, as he snagged her into his embrace. It was still easy to lift her and tuck her under his chin as he had with so many of his family, a protective hold and shield, listening while she explained.

For he did know the Voice was gone – had helped rid them of that deity up there on the mountains.

Though the circumstances made his eyes narrow and brows furrow, almost half-heartedly murmuring something akin to ‘you do not have to follow every new god that comes around’. Except, perhaps, maybe she did, because it’d been the way she survived for so long.

“I have only briefly heard of them,” for not many even came to Halo, based on the speculations gathered – craving the heat that was noticeably absent from the summit dwellings. “Are there other stipulations?”

or your stubbornness?

DEIMOS

do not fear the dark, wolf cub, for when the sun leaves the world,

The hug is tight and she’s able to tuck her head in against his chest, breathing a soft sigh of relief at the sensation and the fact that she can still feel, something that had been sorely missed in her attempts to continue to prove that she wasn’t ready to go just yet. And already, she can practically hear the concern in his voice at the realization that she’d just gone to someone new yet again, but she already harbors the explanations and reasonings behind her teeth.

Other stipulations, though? It isn’t what she expects him to ask and she nods her head – because what else would there be if not restrictions to a life she wasn’t supposed to be living for this long? “They call it the Bloodlust.” She murmurs into his chest, before she readjusts her head and peers up at him the best she can, taking care to not rip any of the fabric of his shirt with the way her horned head moves. “I’ve been able to satisfy it with animals well enough. Easier than going to the shrine of the Voice to re-up.” She offers the information easily before exhaling a soft sigh. “Fire doesn’t harm us anymore, though. Likewise, I can’t go anywhere where it’s cold because I’m pretty sure we’re cold blooded and I’ll just go into a hibernation until it’s hot enough to wake me up.” These are all facts that she recalls from Dygra’s changing her, things that she refuses to forget. “Something about being bathed in fire or hot blood.” She shrugs, her tail lashing through the air at the thought, the only hint of what she thinks of it despite the easy calm mask on her face.

"But I can taste and feel again. And I can't be burned to death again." Perhaps it's a poor comment, given the fact that they aren't too far from where she'd perished before. But the truth should be enough to satisfy the pain of that, she hopes.

the world fears you

KIADA

i wonder which will get you killed faster - your loyalty

The Sword had learned, over multitudes of seasons and cycles in Caido, about how the gods played fickle, could curb ranges and restrictions. The Ascended with their bindings to the Voice and the Voice alone and all the requirements tucked within, the lack of feeling, no senses to snag and enjoy – loyalty was loyalty, and then the newer persuasions seemed to always bend a little more. And some consternation filled his chest and buried its way through his spine, wondering what she’d sacrificed this time, and why it always seemed to be her.

But he listened, taking in the information before any outright apprehension; the Bloodlust not unlike predators, he could surmise and imagine (or at least placate his skull into believing such figments). His piercing eyes lingered back on hers, angling and tilting so they could study one another.

No harm by fire. No cold – which meant no Halo – a home stretching elsewhere. Potentially cold-blooded. “Will you go to Torchline then?” Or stay amidst the Climb, stretching her wake through caverns?

All to touch and taste and feel again.

He nodded, swallowing down the rest of the dread. “That is a relief,” because it was, and he permitted another slow smile to cross his features. “What will you do now?”

or your stubbornness?

DEIMOS

do not fear the dark, wolf cub, for when the sun leaves the world,

Will she go to Torchline? She isn’t sure yet. She’s sort of been wandering, figuring this out before she ends up surrounding herself around people. So she tilts her head, scanning his face as she scans hers, and after a few heartbeats of a moment (thankful to feel so much again, the fabric to his clothes, the strong muscle that sits beneath them that have always caught her when she’d fallen). “I’m not sure yet. But I will tell you when I know. The door will always be open.” She offers softly, her lips twitching in a small smile the second she sees his blossom.

And because she’s still a bit of a shit, she reaches up and pokes at the corner of his small smile that begins on his face. “Strange. It’s been a while since I’ve seen you smile.” And perhaps the same for her as well, though she doesn’t dwell on that fact too much. So before she an let him delve into all of that, she withdraws her hand to rest on his chest. “I heard you’re a Warden now. I’m having flashbacks, Deimos.” From a young girl, always amazed and astonished at the father figure she found in Deimos, ruling the icy north.

the world fears you

KIADA

i wonder which will get you killed faster - your loyalty

Another long, slow breath unfurled from his lungs; in some part gratitude, acknowledgment that they had more time together, that the war hadn’t brought forth the end everyone had foreseen. He eventually settled her back down to the springs ground, not bothered by the uncertainty in these regards: the precarious edges of her upcoming goals. She likely needed time to figure out the lay of the land again, with feeling, with convictions, with everything else unfurling and altering. “Likewise,” he offered, as he always had – snorting, shaking his head, as she poked at his smile and the dimple in his cheek nearby.

Almost boyish and juvenile again, Deimos could only shrug his shoulders; the explanations keen enough in the passing ages. That the reel of notions and conversation segmented back to him was something he’d been hoping to carefully sidestep (and he wouldn’t be surprised if she saw that habit coming a mile away). “Apologies,” he wrinkled his nose in adherence, mostly because the Reaper and the Sword were two sides of the same coin, and to be reminded of some aspects of those days might have been a rancorous default; hand reaching up to tug at the ends of her hair. “I could not avoid it any longer.” He paused, ruminating on the next sentence, before extending it outward, like a test of the subject matter. “Evie is ruling with me.”

or your stubbornness?

DEIMOS

do not fear the dark, wolf cub, for when the sun leaves the world,

It’s a huge balm to her nerves, to the connection reforged as he sets her back down but she doesn’t leave out of his touch – starved for it after so long. But their closeness keeps the smile on her face, keeps the light heartedness there after it being gone for so long. Its something she can’t help herself but to cling to, watching him for a moment before she glances back over toward the hot springs and the warmth that seeps from both it and the Sword.

“Is that how it happened last time or…?” She asks nonchalantly, unable to remember how it had gone before (forgive her, she’s died once before and almost again, her minds a little rattled). On the subject of Evie ruling alongside him, however, her brows rise and her iceberg gaze finds its way back to him. “How is she doing? I haven’t seen her in… Quite a while.” Acceptance with the invitation to talk about the Natural should he wish to.

the world fears you

KIADA

i wonder which will get you killed faster - your loyalty

He snorted in response, seeing as how that always seemed to be how he landed amidst thrones and titles. “Probably,” came on a sigh, but rather than coiling around the regrets and rues of such ties and foundations, his eyes pinpointed solely back upon her.

And then regretting it, because he’d opened another can of worms for himself.

It was the subtle rise of her brows that left his slightly furrowed, and his gaze sliding elsewhere; back upon the Frey’s Breath, which held much more illuminated fixtures and memories for him now; wondering how to navigate the subject best. “She is doing well,” as one could be after wars and banshees, after fallen brothers, after everything else combined upon their shoulders. “Came to Halo for a purpose again,” which could be said the same for multitudes. Eventually his stare went back to Kiada’s, preparing for the inevitable, steeling and forging and grounding himself for when it came to emotions and changes. “She and I are dating.” And then, figuring he could gloss over that with more gossip, he charged onward. “Noah and Cordelia are married now. Expecting twins, apparently.” Another pause, before he delved any further into the awkward. "How is Chuy?"

or your stubbornness?

DEIMOS

do not fear the dark, wolf cub, for when the sun leaves the world,

There’s a soft breath of relief at the mention that Evie was doing well – of course, she’d heard about Sam (what Ascended hadn’t?) and the multitudes of things that had occurred after, wars and hardships and difficulties, returning to Halo for seeking out a purpose. Something she understands well enough as well – so she offers a quiet hum of acknowledgement until the mention of Deimos and Evie dating that has the soft hum shifting immediately into a squeak. “Dating?!” She asks, as if a lifetime had passed between when they’d last spoken.

Which, on second thought, it has. She barely even hears the fact that Noah and Cordelia are married – still untrusting of Noah after the fight over the relic in the Sea of Glass, but she nods along with the information as if she’s understood it, until the question of Chuy has her withdrawing into herself slightly. Her smile falters, all amusement shifting into one of regret and worry. “I… Don’t know.” She admits honestly, lips pursing slightly as she shakes her head and lets her arms cross over her chest, anxiously pulling her (longer than it’s ever been) dark hair over her shoulder.

“When the war started I left him a note and slipped away in the night. We’d been wandering a bit before then and I just didn’t want him to be around to witness anything if things went bad with the Voice being gone.” The frown tugs on her face once more before she lets her gaze focus on a few threads of his shirt, looking through him more than at him for this conversation. “I thought it was best. And when the Voice was gone and nothing really happened, well, I… Couldn’t face going back. So I’m trying to start over.” She knows it makes her a terrible person to leave Chulane behind, and yet it was the only path forward she can see.

the world fears you

KIADA

i wonder which will get you killed faster - your loyalty

He flinched slightly at the squeak for the sheer cacophony of it, and then the unknown – uncertain how to gauge the reaction. Given the outliers of Talyson and Hotaru’s responses, the notions could have lingered anywhere. And though he would carry on regardless, he was still steeling himself for any range of nuances and expressions. “Yes,” with an affirmed nod; pondering if her surprise had merely been because it’d been so long after everything else.

Nor did he expect the sudden withdrawal at the mention of Chuy – a dedicated being to his constituents, loyal, steady, stalwart to a fault. The rue and apprehension caused his brows to furrow, the unknown parameters more of a bewilderment than anything else; perhaps they’d both stunned one another in the revolutions and contortions of change.

Her reasons made sense, and that made his heart hurt, pulsing about his ribcage. Swallowing down a trace of bile, and knowing what it meant to be left behind, his jaw clenched slightly. “Will you write to him again now?” Or maybe it was as she’d said – a starting over point, to let him linger back in the doldrums of the unknown. But even that seemed harsh.

or your stubbornness?

DEIMOS